Worm bedding and food composition



United States Patent WORM BEDDING AND FOOD COMPOSITION Donald R. Buss,Lanark, Ill.

No Drawing. Division of application Serial No. 151,865, March 25, 1950.Continuation of application Serial No. 238,013, July 21, 1951. Thisapplication August 4, 1955, Serial No. 526,572

9 Claims. (Cl. 99-3) This application is a continuation of myapplication, Serial No. 238,013, filed July 21, 1951, and is a divisionof my copending application, Serial No. 151,865, filed March 25, 1950.

This invention relates to a new and improved worm bedding and foodcomposition enabling keeping alive and in good health and multiplying,earth worms and the like used for fishing bait and soil building.

The object of this invention is to provide a water absorbent beddingwhich allows air and oxygen to pass freely through it, so that it isideal as a habitat for earth, blood, and sand worms, the samefurthermore containing the necessary food and grit not only to sustaintheir life for much longer periods than has heretofore been consideredpossible, outside their natural habitat, but keep them in such good andvigorous physical condition as to make them better adapted for use asfishing bait, or for breeding and transplanting for soil building.

A feature of the present bedding is its water absorbance, which, whenthe bedding is used properly in a water trapping container, insures thatthe water content is always just enough higher than the water content ofthe worms, to maintain the worms in a good, healthy condition.

Another feature of the present worm bedding is that it will not heat,mold, or give off offensive odors.

Still another feature of the present worm bedding is its high waterretaining ability which accounts for its keeping the bodies of the wormswet without smothering them as ordinary wet soil would, fresh waterbeing required for earth worms, and ocean or salt water for blood andsand worms.

A further feature of this bedding material is its thermal insulating andretaining properties, which are beneficial when worms have to be shippedlong distances during hot weather, because it is found that if thebedding is once cooled to the desired temperature it will keep thattemperature for a long time, thus enabling shipment of worms in thehottest weather.

The bedding of my invention, as described in the parent application, isadapted to be put in open-mouth bags with a predetermined number ofworms per bag. The bedding is wetted well before being placed in thesecontainers, fresh water or salt water being used, depending upon thekind of worms being packaged for shipment. The bags are perforated, asdescribed in the parent application, so as to drain oif surplus waterand leave about 10% of the volume of bedding at the bottom of each bagwith its initial moisture content, as a reserve supply, in case itshould be needed later by reason of no rewetting of the bedding whenthat becomes necessary. There are other perforations in each bag abovethe level of the bottom reservoir through which slow seepage occurs, andthe evaporation of this moisture on the outside of the bag is highlybeneficial in its cooling effect on the bedding in hot weather.

"ice

2 The bedding consists of the following:

Pounds 1.. Cellulose, such as wood pulp paper (34 or Vs" screenfineness) g p 45 2. Alluvium (3 screen fineness) 55 3. Cellulose sponge/2 screen fineness) 2 4. Cereal, such as oatmeal (coarse ground) 10Items 1 and 2 may be used together, with or without item 3, for abedding capable of sustaining worm life for an appreciable time, as aworm will find sufficient food value in the bedding of 1 and 2, or 1, 2and 3, the bedding is truly complete and will sustain worm life a longtime. The cellulose (or vegetable fibre) is preferably wood pulp paper,ground in a hammer mill to the desired fineness, A or A3" screenfineness, or coarser, and is of a fluffy nature, does not mat, and iseaten by the worms. The alluvium, which is a form of solid mineral, whenfinely divided furnishes the food and grit necessary for all wormsdigestive tracts. The chopped up cellulose sponge absorbs twenty timesits weight in water and is therefore employed to hold moisture. However,all of the components have a fairly high water retaining ability, sothat the worms are assured of keeping wet enough and yet not be indanger of smothering. The ground cereal, such as oatmeal, is consumed bythe worms as food. Bedding as herein disclosed has good thermalinsulating properties so that worms may be shipped and moved safely longdistances even during very hot weather, especially if the bedding isfirst cooled to the desired temperature, the bedding absorbing outsideheat very slowly.

The bedding is sold to worm breeders and shippers, and, when put up inbags as described above, is used by individual fishermen to keep wormsfrom year to year, or at least from one wet period to the next.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention. The appended claims havebeen drawn to cover all legitimate modifications and adaptations.

I claim:

1. A combined bedding and food adapted to serve as a habitat for worms,which consists of a mixture of finely divided cellulose and more finelydivided alluvium adapted to have water added thereto and which whenadded will be largely absorbed by said cellulose.

2. A combined bedding and food for worms as defined in claim 1 and whichfurther includes finely chopped sponge.

3. A combined bedding and food for worms as defined in claim 1 and whichfurther includes a coarsely ground cereal.

4. A combined bedding and food for worms as defined in claim 1 whereinsaid cellulose has a fineness from about A to A" mesh and said alluviumhas a fineness of about mesh.

5. A combined bedding and food for worms as defined in claim 4 whereinsaid cellulose and alluvium are about equal in amount by weight.

6. A combined bedding and food adapted to serve as a habitat for worms,which consists of a mixture of finely divided cellulose, more finelydivided alluvium, and salt water which is largely absorbed by saidcellulose.

7. A combined bedding and food for worms which consists of a mixture offinely divided wood pulp paper and more finely divided alluvium adaptedto have water added thereto, the water when added being largely absorbedby said wood pulp paper.

8. A combined bedding and food composition adapted to serve as a habitatfor worms, which consists of finely divided cellulose and food and gritmaterial thatis more finely divided, the said combination adapted tohave I spoons water added thereto which when added is largely abdividedwood pulp papei'f 8nd food and grit material .that 5 is 'more finelydivided, the said composition adapted to have water added thereto whichwhen added is'largely absorbed by the wood pulp paper.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSDreyling May 22, 1945 Kleine et a1. June 7, 1949 Grassie Dec. 25, 1951

8. A COMBINED BEDDING AND FOOD COMPOSITION ADAPTED TO SERVE AS A HABITATFOR WORMS, WHICH CONSISTS OF FINELY DIVIDED CELLULOSE AND FOOD AND GRITMATERIAL THAT IS MORE FINELY DIVIDED, THE SAID COMBINATION ADAPTED TOHAVE WATER ADDED THERETO WHICH WHEN ADDED IS LARGELY ABSORBED BY THECELLULOSE.